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I think I am starting to come to terms with the future, and what I want it to be - at least in part. There are many things that I want to do, and I've accepted that I can't do them all at once (due to physics - dammit, Newton.) - so I think I'll have to figure out some sort of order.
I've decided that my interest - and hopefully my abilities - lie in the areas of Radical Politics and Market Theory; though neither one really interests me individually, where the two overlap seems to be a fruitful area. Radical Market Theory is a largely unexplored area of academia, and it is where I've begun steering my interests.
Unfortunately, it turns out the Social, Political, Ethical and Legal Philosophy program here at BU involves very little of the S, P or L - I am at this moment taking courses on Normative Ethics, Phenomenology (ugh), a course with good ol' Eric Dietrich (which speaks for itself), and a few other bits on the side - including tutoring Elementary Logic, which ought to be a course in itself.
But, as you can see, none of these really relate to what I'm really interested in, which can be frustrating - after all, why am I going to the trouble of getting a Masters if I don't even get to engage with material that really excites me? Turns out getting an MA isn't that different from getting a BA - just more reading.
Blech. In any case, I've pretty much scrapped the idea of getting a PhD, at least not in the next ten years. Rather, I'd like to focus on the practical aspects of nongoverned markets - and the only way to do that is to FIND THEM!
Thus: I am in the process of applying for grants from both the Fulbright people and the National Science Foundation to spend a serious amount of time in Chiapas, Mexico, to hang out with the Zapatistas and get a good solid look at how their ungoverned markets manage to function within a larger, governed, framework. Arrogantly:
I'm hoping to study the way that these markets manage to maintain efficiency and overcome collective action dilemmas independent of an overarching governmental structure.
(That's the type of pap I need to use to get this funding: I hate the ivory tower more than anything. What good is knowledge (ha ha) if you need highly specialized education to access it? More on that later)
In any case, I've begun clawing my way out of this horrific self-diagnosed bout of Depression by accepting the past and casting a hopeful gaze to the future. Other markets I hope to look at: rural China, American prostitution, International Arms (that one will be tough).
Also: The Improper Philosopher is finally taking form! Starting on the "Call for Papers" this week, will hopefully be able to mail them out before next Friday.
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dininghall's journal
